The third of seven Neighbourhood Nights will take place in Ward 5 tonight (Tuesday, June 6) at Leonard's Beach Park (10th Line Beach Park) from 6-8 p.m.
Leonard’s Beach Park is located at 623 10th Line, while parking — which is restricted to those who display a town-issued resident parking pass — is available at 2711 Ireton St.
Coun. Linda Zanella may be a new town councillor in Innisfil, but as a former school board trustee, she’s no stranger to municipal elections and campaigning.
She served as a school board trustee for 17 years, so not only does she understand how to navigate the top-down hierarchy intrinsic to the political landscape encountered by town councillors, she says she also brings a wealth of customer service experience to her role from her background in real estate and travel and hospitality.
“I think that being in the public and working with the public all of the time gives me an idea of what the public wants,” she said.
As the traffic built in Brampton, so, too, did Zanella’s desire to live in a quieter community. She and her husband decided that they wanted to downsize from their home in Brampton about six years ago.
As a mother and grandmother, some of Zanella’s family members live in Wasaga Beach and ar Jackson’s Point, so, upon reflecting on some of her childhood memories that were spent on the beaches in Innisfil, the Zanellas soon realized that Innisfil was the perfect town to relocate to.
Struck by the opportunities for change and growth that the Town of Innisfil faces in the coming years and decades, Zanella decided that running for the council was the perfect opportunity to be part of something bigger than herself. But she doesn’t do it alone.
In addition to other members of the council, Zanella noted that the customer service system employed by the town is a wonderful way to streamline concerns from residents. Each time a town councillor receives a call from a constituent, the councillor contacts customer service at town hall and they create a case file on the matter, which generates a ticket number so that progress can be tracked and easily reassigned to the correct person or department in the town.
Zanella says she's proud to represent Ward 5 and she looks forward to gathering for Neighbourhood Nights this evening at Leonard’s Beach.
A family-friendly event, the town previously noted that the Mobile Youth Centre will be on site to offer life-size board games, lawn games, and more. People can also meet with town staff and community partners including the Innisfil ideaLAB & Library, InnPower and InnServices.
The fourth of seven Neighbourhood Nights will be in Ward 6 with Coun. Robert Saunders on Thursday, June 22.
To find out which ward you live in, check out the town's ward map by clicking here.
